Courses

Here, you’ll find brief course descriptions of the courses that make up the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in applied economics. The course catalog tells you about the requirements for each degree. Please contact us at apecdgs@umn.edu with your questions.

ApEc 5032. Economic Data Analysis for Managerial and Policy Decisions. (3 cr. Prereq–5031 or #, familiarity with SAS) Statistical/econometric methods for the analysis of large data sets to support managerial/policy decisions. Methods for organizing, accessing, and ensuring the quality of data. Estimation techniques include panel data methods, limited dependent variable models, and time series analysis. Emphasizes clarity of reporting and design of procedures for maintaining/updating data estimates.

ApEc 5341. Public Finance. (3 cr. A-F only. Prereq–3001 or Econ 3101 or PA 5021) Which services should the public sector provide? Which level of government should provide them? How should governments fund those services? Which types of taxes should be levied and on whom? Applying economic theory/analysis to spending, revenue, and tax policy issues facing governments.

ApEc 5711. U.S. Agricultural and Environmental Policy. (3 cr. Prereq–3001 or Econ 3101) U.S. agricultural policy in an open world economy; role of private markets and government in regulating supply and demand; income vs. price support, supply controls, environmental constraints, and export protectionism; functioning of markets; roles of public interest groups and future of American agricultural policy.

ApEc 5721. Economics of Science and Technology Policy. (3 cr. Prereq–ApEc 3001 or Econ 3101 or #) Economics of innovation, technical change, and research and development, productivity measurement, knowledge stocks, research lags and spillovers, econometric/welfare surplus methods for evaluating economic consequences of research and development, economics of intellectual property rights.

ApEc 5831. Food and Agribusiness Marketplace. (2 cr. Prereq - graduate student)Survey course of the instructrial organization and current policy issues in the food and agribusiness marketplace. It represents a collaboration between the College of Food, Agricultural, and Natural Resources Sciences and the Carlson School of Management. Topics include food policies, environmental policies, and instructoral organization issues.

ApEc 8701. Trade and Development I. (2 cr. Prereq–Econ 8002 or Econ 8102 or #) Analyze international trade and economic policies that affect trade. Consider the determinants of trade, the welfare effects of trade, and the implications of trade liberalization or protectionism.

ApEc 8702. Trade and Development II. (2 cr. Prereq–8230, Econ 8002 or Econ 8102 or #) Focus on the applied microeconomics of international development and empirically testing the various theories developed to account for persistent economic underdevelopment and poverty. The course will cover key ideas and methods in empirical development economics, household models, intrahousehold models, market formation and market participation, land markets, technology adoption, risk and insruance, and other topics.

ApEc 8703. Trade and Development III. (2 cr; A-F only. Prereq–Econ 8001-04 or Econ 8101-04, and ApEc 8211-8212 or #. Concurrent registration is OK) Topics in the microeconomic analysis of development covered include: education, poverty, inequality, demography, and the impact of international aid.

ApEc 8704. Trade and Development IV. (2 cr. Prereq- Econ 8002 or Econ 8102 or #)Focus on the applied microeconomics of international development. Empirically analyze various market failures in developing countries, their role in driving persistent poverty, and interventions to address them. Specific attention is paid to the functioning of financial, labor, and healthcare markets, as well as the influence of social networks and economic decisions and outcomes.

PA 8312. Analysis of Discrimination. (3 credits.) Introduces students of policy analysis and other applied social sciences to tools for measuring and detecting discrimination in market and nonmarket contexts. Application of modern tools of labor econometrics and race relations research to specific problems of market and nonmarket discrimination.

PUBH 8811. Research Methods in Health Care. (3 credits. Prerequisites 8810, grad or professional school student or #) Research methods commonly used in analysis of health services research and health policy problems.